Airplane Terminal on a Box

This morning I spent time with the boys drawing an airport for them on the inside of a moving box.  I often do this ... draw train tracks and roads so that the boys have something different to run their cars and airplanes on rather than just the standard road carpets.  

It costs nothing to make and the boys love being the "designers" of the layout themselves.  I sit there with a Sharpie marker while they tell me where to put the different pieces.  I just knew my drawing skills would come in handy one day :o)

This was the road/train "carpet" we made a few weeks ago:  

The guys don't care if the lines aren't perfect or if the tracks are crooked and they enjoy coloring and adding additional details to them too like the airplane my six year old added:

Yeah, the coloring occupies them "constructively" for a while which is always a good thing in my book.  I think that I might do up big pirate one next ... they'd LOVE that!  I'll make sure to show you when I do :o)

- Kristin - 

DIY Spackled MDF Coasters

Here is the full tutorial for these coasters if you missed my post over at Everyday Mom Ideas last week.  These are painted by hand using fonts found in Word so if you are like me and you don't have access to a Silhouette or Cricut machine you can still easily make these!

These coasters are an easy project with many possibilities ... use this technique to make a trivet, group several smaller plaques together for an eclectic piece of wall art, and kids can get involved in painting and personalizing their own room decor.     

Step 1:  Cut a remnant piece of MDF into 4” squares using a miter saw.   My remnant piece cost me a dollar at Home Depot.  If you don’t have a miter saw, no worries … from experience I have learned that taking the time to do your makeup and style your hair means the guys over at Home Depot are always willing to help :o)

Step 2:  Paint the top and bottom of the MDF squares with acrylic paint.  I like using acrylic because it dries quickly. I chose black for my coasters but I’m a monochromatic kinda gal and you might be more colorful, so you decide what you like best. 

Step 3: Place blue painters’ tape in about  ¼”  around the perimeter of the MDF to give your coasters a border.  I eyeballed this by holding it up near a window – the light coming through the tape will give you a good idea if your taped line is straight.  The blue tape works best because it is made to adhere to recently painted surfaces without lifting your paint when you take it off.  Love this stuff!

Step 4: Take a wide putty knife and apply about a 1/8” thick coat of spackling to the exposed part of your coaster.  If you want a smoother coaster in the end, aim for a smooth application of spackling compound.  I did both smooth ones and textured ones and ended up preferring the smooth.  The spackling I used (Dap Dry Dex) goes on pink and dries white which helps take the guess work out of knowing when it is dry.

Step 5:  Using a fine grit sandpaper, sand the spackling.  Be careful not to sand too much or you will expose the wood underneath.  I sanded in all directions to give a cross-hatched textured surface to mine.  You can see below (I hope) the rough coaster versus the smooth one.  

Step 6: Slowly and carefully peel away the painter’s tape.  Some spackling along the taped edge might come off with the tape so if you are a perfectionist, beware!  I happen to like a little texture.

Step 7: Select the design for your coasters.  I chose to monogram mine with the letter M in different fonts (size 200 in Word).  The simpler the image or wording the better.  Print the letters onto paper, then hold the paper up to the window (wrong side facing you) and scribble over the entire letter.  Turn the paper right side up and trace its’ outline onto the center of the coaster.

Step 8:  Using acrylic paint, fill in the traced letter or image.  This is where my cross-hatched sanding job came in handy:  it gave my letters a slightly distressed look, one that you might get on wood if you were to sand well painted letters.

Step 9:  Seal it.  You could spray the coaster with several coats of clear lacquer for protection against chipping and moisture, but I didn't have any and used several coats of Mod Podge in Satin to add some shine instead.    

Add cork or felt pads to the bottom, tie them up using colorful ribbon and you have a wonderful hostess or teacher’s gift, or if you are like me, hoard them for yourself!  

- Kristin -

Linking to some of these great parties this week:

myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com, diyshowoff, madincraft.blogspot.com, craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com, thegirlcreative.blogspot.com,makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com,sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com, craftomaniac.blogspot.com, skiptomylou.org, creatingawesomefreethings.blogspot.com, betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com, dittledattle.blogspot.com, happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com, craftedition.blogspot.com, todayscreativeblog.net, trendytreehouse.blogspot.com, bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com, sewchatty.blogspot.com, somedaycrafts.blogspot.com, bluecricketdesign.net, 733blog.blogspot.com, somewhatsimple.blogspot.com, firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com, theshabbychiccottage.net, paisleypassions.blogspot.com, houseofhepworths.com, simplydesigning.blogspot.com, funtocraft.blogspot.com, justagirl.blogspot.com, lovelycraftyhome.com, tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com, funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com, thediyshowoff.blogspot.com, iheartnaptime.blogspot.com, alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com, momnivores-dilemma.com

Guest Blogging At ...

I am guest blogging over at Everyday Mom Ideas today and sharing how to make these MDF spackled coasters.  Hope you stop by ...

Have a wonderful Monday!

- Kristin -

Gift a Handmade Collection of Cards

As much as I can, I like to make the gifts I give.  This card catalogue is something that I made for my mom.  She loves sending cards so I tried to make her a little of everything: thinking of you, congratulations, welcome baby, thank you, birthday wishes, in sympathy ....

I chose this plastic expandable file (that I found at the dollar store) because I loved the patterned circles on it and it had the right number of tabs inside.  I had actually spent a bit of time looking around for a really nice folder couldn't believe it when I found it at the dollar store!
















I labeled the inside tabs so the cards would be easy to find.

















I searched around online to find the most simple, image free calender I could find (similar to this one) and then printed it on heavy white card stock.  I filed it at the front of the folder so that my mom could quickly reference it if she needed to.   

I also took the time to compile a list of all family members and close friends and typed out a list, highlighted by month, of all their birth dates and anniversaries.  I had to be little sneaky because I had to borrow my mom's address book and get it back without her knowing it had ever been gone - stressful, but successful :o)

The last part was creating the cards.  This took many evenings of cutting up old cards and fun scrapbooking paper, stamping, chalking, sparkling (probably not a word) and mounting to my heart's content.  I had never chalked stamped cards before and they actually turned out really neat!  I also dusted off and experimented with many of the paper cutters and scissors that had been sitting idle and forgotten for eons on a bookcase in the basement. 

As part of the presentation of the cards and their envelopes, I stuffed them into plastic sleeves (biodegradable ones made of corn) that I had bought to keep the cards clean and to lend them a more "professional" look :o)  I slotted the cards into the corresponding file divider and wrapped it up.  Needless to say she was very pleased and spent time looking at each "work of art" :o)  

Now to make one for myself ... 

- Kristin - 

DIY Coasters & Magnets

I have decided that these handmade coasters and magnets are my most favorite project to date!  They would make great teachers' gifts or hostess gifts and they are definitely going to be a part of the gift I'm putting together for my mom for Mother's Day!  I was inspired by Creekside Creations' beautiful monogramed tiles and thought I'd try my hand at some.

I purchased a sheet of backsplash tile at Home Depot for about $12.  I chose the sheet with the different sized tiles:

From this one sheet I was able to make:

• one set of 4 square 4" coasters
• two sets of 4 square 2" magnets
• two sets of 3 rectangular 2" x 4" magnets

If you break down the cost by set, that is roughly $2.40/set (give or take) which is pretty awesome! I stamped them with ordinary black stamping ink using basic rubber stamps.

This is what the sheet looked like after the stamping:

















My sister Heather loved it whole like this and wants me to make her one to sit in the middle of her Shaker style table as a hot mat.  So, yet another idea for just $12!

After the stamped tiles were dry I applied two coats of Mod Podge (in Satin finish) to seal them.  When the Mod Podge was dry, I peeled off the cardboard AND the webbing underneath each tile.

These are the coasters:

















And these are the magnet sets:

















(PS I still have to pick up the super strong magnets from Lee Valley before the tile magnets are finished - these little guys are heavy and need the right strength magnets to do the job well).






















For the coasters I applied cork protectors that I picked up at the local hardware store for less than $2.  You could also use felt or felt pads.  I used the cork because I liked the look of it better, not than anyone else would EVER look under there but I have some idiosyncrasies that need to be indulged sometimes :o)

















I tied the coasters together using white Rafia String to keep the wrapping simple.

















In very little time, for very little effort these coasters and magnets are BY FAR the best project I have done in a while (I think I said that already didn't I?!?)  Anyways I'm off to make more (and more) only I might run out of people before I run out of energy on this project ... anyone else for some?

I 

stamping tile!

Along the way I learned a few things that I thought I'd pass along:

1) Know your stamps.  As you can see below my dragonfly stamp has two weak spots in the wings - pushing down harder doesn't make it better so if you don't like the way it stamps on paper, you won't like the way it stamps on the tile.















2) Match your stamp to the tile.  In the heart stamped tile below I really should have chosen a smaller stamp - one that would not have called such attention to the big chunk missing from the tile - or at least tried to position the heart stamp differently.















Oh, and remember you only get ONE shot with your stamp on the tile.  Don't bother trying to re-stamp because your eyes will go all screwy trying to decipher the blurry image you've just created (I know, I did it).

Happy stamping!

- Kristin -

Linking to some of these awesome parties this week:
madincraft.blogspot.com, simpsonizedcrafteandthensome.blogspot.com, craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com, thegirlcreative.blogspot.com, thecreativeichboutique.blogspot.com, sumosweetstuff.blogspot.com, craftomaniac.blogspot.com, skiptomylou.org, momsbyheart.net, creatingawesomefreethings.blogspot.com, betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com, cottageinstincts.blogspot.com, craftedition.blogspot.com, todayscreativeblog.net, imtopsyturvy.com, sillylittlesparrow.com, my uncommonsliceofsuburbia.com, athomewithk.blogspot.com, itsoverycheri.com, creatingahouse of grace.blogspot.com, bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com, bluecricketdesign.net, somedaycrafts.blogspot.com, somewhatsimple.blogspot.com, firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com, funtocraft.blogspot.com, justagirl.blogspot.com, dittledattle.blogspot.com, diyhshp.blogspot.com and funkyjunkinteriors!

Cute IKEA Candles

These IKEA candles are now a cute addition to a gift for my niece and they only took a few minutes to pull together.  It just goes to show that sometimes inexpensive items can be tweaked a little to make them special and personal :o) 

I picked up a couple of these candles from IKEA a few days ago for a $1.99 each.  They smell amazing, but the packaging was a little bland - a glass container with a large, unattractive sticker on it (sorry IKEA but they had to go) and a plastic fitted top.  Yeah, not really working for me.  

I picked up some clear backed letter stickers at Walmart for next to nothing and thought they would be perfect for these candles. 

There were two holes in the top of the plastic lid which were the perfect size for threading a length of pink polka dot ribbon through ... and I finished it off by tying a small bow.     

Since these candles are part of a little girl's gift the ribbon makes a nice, fun addition.  I added the words "luv u" and "QT" (aka cutie) to the outside of the glass and voila ... 

... a simple and cute way to dress up an inexpensive and yummy smelling candle!

I love how they turned out so I think I'll pick up a few more - maybe I'll try just threading the ribbon through the holes and trimming the ends for a more sophisticated and tailored look, or perhaps twine might be neat too?  Boy, if you had a Cricut or Silhouette you'd be all set - the whole etched glass thing would be very cool!  

- Kristin -

I'm linking to a few of these awesome parties:

happyhappyhousewife.blogspot.com, craftedition.blogspot.com, todayscreativeblog.net, trendytreehouse.blogspot.com, bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com, somedaycrafts.blogspot.com, bluecricketdesign.net, 733blog.blogspot.com, somewhatsimple.blogspot.com, firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com, theshabbychiccottage.net, paisleypassions.blogspot.com, houseofhepworths.com, simplydesigning.blogspot.com, funtocraft.blogspot.com, justagirl.blogspot.com, lovelycraftyhome.com, tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com, funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com, thediyshowoff.blogspot.com, iheartnaptime.blogspot.com, alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com

A Custom Sign from Adhesive Blackboard Paper

I can’t remember where I found it or who wrote it, but these few simple lines make me smile every time I read them.  They also serve as a constant reminder of how truly blessed and thankful I am to have my little boys. 

I wanted to put this quote up in the mudroom for a while now, but was at a loss as to how I should go about it.  Vinyl wall letters were too expensive and briefly I considered going the subway art route that is so popular these days, but the message is so simple that I didn’t want it to get lost in the typefonts.

I happened upon this blackboard sticky paper for a dollar at the dollar store and knew right away that it was the perfect medium!  If you haven't tried this adhesive blackboard yet you should; it's great stuff!   Apparently you can also get adhesive white board now too for about $4.99 at Michaels .... ah, the potential!

I dug out an old gold frame that I wasn’t using and painted it white. 

Then I cut the blackboard adhesive paper to size using the glass from the frame as a template. This cutting was made even easier by the grid markings on the back of the blackboard paper.  No math, no tracing … my kind of project!

After cutting the blackboard adhesive to size, I carefully peeled the backing paper away and pulled and pressed it firmly to the piece of cardboard that belonged in the back of the frame to smooth out any bumps or lumps.  That took all of, oh, one minute.  

Placing the mounted blackboard in the frame, I made small marks to indicate the dimensions of the chalkboard that would show through once framed as I didn’t want any of my quote to be covered up by the frame.

Now the fun part – the lettering!  I could have used chalk here but I didn’t want it to get wiped off by those little inquisitive hands, so I used a white pencil crayon for the lettering.  The pencil crayon provided that streaky/distressed/chalky look that I wanted.  Emulating that look with paint would have been time consuming (but definitely a medium to consider along with vinyl letters if you were going for a more “solid” look).

I sketched out my quote then went back over the letters more thoroughly so that it would be easy to read.  Now it isn’t perfect – some letters are bigger than others and I didn’t use a ruler for straight lines (any erasing you do on the blackboard paper will always be visible), but I don’t mind that, it just adds character :o)

I popped the new chalkboard message into the frame, secured the tabs in the back and voila, a simple and easy custom piece for our home. 

Why I like this adhesive blackboard paper :

•     Peal and stick application
•     No messy painting or clean up
•     Easy to use

 

What do you think?  Easy and inexpensive ... my kind of art!
I hope you are enjoying your day!

- Kristin -

Linking to some of these places today:
madincraft.blogspot.com, craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com, thegirlcreative.blogspot.com, makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com, sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com, craftomaniac.blogspot.com, skiptomylou.org, creatingawesomefreethings.blogspot.com, betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com, dittledattle.blogspot.com,todayscreativeblog.net, craftedition.blogspot.com/

bellabeforeandafter.blogspot.com, sewchatty.blogspot.com myuncommonsliceofsuburbia